A shift in focus
ICE Malta is a leading tech education institute based in Malta. Its co-founder and CEO, Nikolai Sammut, is passionate about technology, and ICE Malta’s mission is to help people connect, learn and get inspired by maximising their abilities to do what they love so that they can embark on a dream career.
Nikolai Sammut, Co-founder and CEO, ICE Malta
In the post-COVID era, Nikolai noticed that consumers were placing more value on the user experience when purchasing a product or service. Speed and ease of use were more critical than ever before. This shift caused a rapid expansion of companies investing in UX and UI.
Nikolai knew there would be a race to find the top talent and was determined to have the gold standard in UX education that would enable students to strengthen their digital skills and progress in their careers. Nikolai’s take on UX is clear:
When it comes to UX, it’s not the future, it’s the present.
Seeking excellence in UX education
When searching for the right programme to offer their students, the product team made a list of the top three UX education providers and completed their courses to sample the student experience first-hand. Nikolai decided to partner with the UX Design Institute and this is what he has to say about the partnership,
In my opinion, the UXDI has the trinity of a valuable product: it’s designed by industry experts, endorsed by the biggest brands, and credit-rated by a university. The other players can never get to the same level as the UX Design Institute for the simple reason that they are not as focused on delivering value to their students.
A two-way partnership
For Nikolai, it was vital that any company he partnered with shared his values on education. To him, the best way to teach is through live hands-on workshops by the world’s brightest minds in a vibrant community of like-minded talent.
But when Nikolai first began speaking with UXDI, the Institute delivered on-demand, online learning only. However, after discussions between the two CEOs, the product was rebuilt with live classes. This showed Nikolai that the UXDI valued his input as a partner and was open and receptive to his ideas.
Support along the way
John Doran, Head of Partnerships, UX Design Institute
Nikolai is impressed by the speed and quality of the UXDI support. He shares, “If there’s a need to get an info session done quickly, a certification issued, or documentation is required for funding schemes, John is always available to execute and be part of it.”
Nikolai is full of praise for his partner manager at UX Design Institute, John Doran,
John understands the importance of balancing the quality of product with revenue. He’s very quick to support, always ready to listen, and keen on trying new things. And that is what makes a product hit the right notes for growth.
Student success stories
The students of ICE Malta are seeing incredible success from the Professional Diploma in UX Design. It’s a point of pride for Nikolai. Students with various backgrounds have landed UX roles after completing the course with ICE Malta. “We have one student who went from a psychology student to a product designer. And another who was picked for a UX internship during the course and after completing the programme became a resident UX designer at a global gaming company.”, says Nikolai beamingly.
With a student satisfaction score of 4.9 currently, the team at ICE Malta is confident they can get it up to a perfect score of 5 with a few tweaks that they’re already working on.
A bright future
Since joining the UX Design Institute’s partner program in 2021, ICE Malta has grown considerably year on year.
Nikolai says, “The numbers are still small compared to what we believe we can do but we are confident we can overcome our challenges in partnership with the UX Design Institute.”
Nikolai is optimistic about the future with the UX Design Institute. It’s very much a two-way partnership and because his feedback is valued and actioned, he can see a bright and rewarding path ahead. He is particularly energised by the idea of partnering with the UXDI to expand into new regions and launch new products. You can learn more about ICE Malta by visiting their website at https://icemalta.com/.
To know more about UX Design Institute’s partner network and how to partner with us, please visit our partner hub.
